


Blue Is the Hue

by Pearl_Pilots_In_Chains



Series: Of Tears and Ash [28]
Category: Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Genre: Gen, dream - Freeform, world building
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:55:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25949953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pearl_Pilots_In_Chains/pseuds/Pearl_Pilots_In_Chains
Summary: Iphicles finds himself in an unfamiliar place.
Series: Of Tears and Ash [28]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1050806
Kudos: 7





	Blue Is the Hue

**Author's Note:**

> This is another one of my HTLJ fics from 2018 (set in my "Of Tears and Ash" AU) that I never posted, but decided I might as well, considering the time I put into them. Once again, since I'm no longer really in the fandom, I'm backdating this to when I wrote it, so no one thinks I'm suddenly back into HTLJ.

Iphicles shook his head about in vain, trying to clear away the mists which seemed to hang about him, obscuring his vision and throwing him off balance.The motion was useless, as the grey fog remained firmly in place, wrapping him in its vaporous cocoon.He spun about, trying to find a solid footing.The ground seemed to undulate beneath him, alternating between something substantial and firm, and something which collapsed under his weight, threatening to bring him to the ground at any moment.Miraculously, however, he was able to stay upright, though he was not wholly sure that it was of his own accord.Every time he felt as though he was about to pitch forward or tumble back, the earth seemed to correct his stance.Still, the entire affair was extremely unpleasant and disconcerting, and left him feeling altogether helpless in the matter, a sensation which he did not enjoy for a single moment or appreciate one bit.He had a distinct sense that he was at the mercy of something other than his own will, and this thought put him distinctly on edge.

As he moved about, flailing for some degree of control in the midst of the situation, his eyes caught a glimpse of something which drew his attention.Somewhere off, obscured by the ubiquitous haze, he could see a faint glow.Unless his eyes deceived him, which, he supposed, was not out of question given all that was occurring about him, the light was blue in hue.It was difficult for him to determine just how far away it was.His depth perception hardly seemed to be functioning at all, with everything around him simultaneously seeming both near and far all at once, with nothing definite for him to focus on as a sort of basis for comparison.Even the light, though its shimmer was consistent, did not seem to remain in one location, but instead appeared as though it was dipping and weaving constantly.The mists about Iphicles seemed to be moving in a similar fashion, and he came to the conclusion that the light was moving in unison with the vapor to some degree, though it was once again hard for him to ascertain precisely how exact the sync between the two elements was. 

It was entirely possible that the mists and the blue light were perfectly aligned, each moving concurrently in an identical pattern.On the other hand, it was equal valid possibility that each one was moving in a separate pattern of its own, and that they only appeared to be moving in concert due to certain similarities in the course of their respective patterns.Iphicles came to the conclusion, after a moment of reflection on this topic, that it was most likely best not to devote too much thought to it, and instead divert his energies toward moving in what he felt was roughly the direction of the light’s source, though even this was more guesswork than anything sure. Iphicles was quickly beginning to tire of just how uncertain he was of everything in this place.There was nothing utterly absolute, easily parsed and dissected.Everything was nebulous and undefined.The entire environment of this space, whatever it was, defied logic, and he was not at all pleased by this fact.He liked to think of himself as an individual who operated based upon logical principles, and this was a mentality reflected in the way in which he viewed and apprehended the world about him.When he was confronted by a situation in which rationale principles were found to be insufficient, an event which did happen from time to time, it always tended to leave him in a disgruntled.There was simply something about it which was unsatisfactory.Something about it which left him feeling as though an important conflict had gone unresolved, and tension, though it might have been difficult to still perceive, yet hung in the air like a noxious cloud of foul provenance.

Iphicles frowned to himself as he set off, albeit as best he could, in the direction of the light.Movement in this place was a challenging activity involving the constant alternating sensations of weightlessness and being pulled down by immense pressure, combined with the feeling that he might lose his balance at any given moment and plunge facedown into the mists beneath him, and from there, potentially keep falling.A fear teased around the corners of his mind, whispering to him that if he did fall, he wouldn’t be able to stop.That the ground would cease to hold him up, and he would plunge into some nameless abyss that extended downward for an undefinable distance, perhaps even one which would take him an eternity to plummet through, his death occurring long, long before he ever reached the bottom of the pit.He did his best to push this fear to the most distance reaches of his brain, reminding himself that it was highly illogical.Being reasonable, it seemed fair to assume that this entire environment was nothing more than a dream.This was the most appropriate and believable explanation he could find for the moment.Then again, his trust in it was somewhat lessened by the fact that this did not feel at all like a dream.It felt akin to real life, as though he had truly found himself in an unfamiliar place without any readily apparent justification, and that, furthermore, the principles by which this unfamiliar place operated were entirely different from the principles by which the places he inhabitant and was familiar with operated.It was a troubling thought, and so, he did his very best to confine it to the less-accessible regions of his brain, with fairly mixed results overall.Still, it would have to be enough for now, as he didn’t feel he could do much more than that at the moment.

Iphicles carried on, slowly moving in the direction of the light.Though the pace he was forced to keep felt excessively sluggish to him, he was rather glad to see that it appeared as though he was getting closer to the light, even with his less-than ideal speed.Gradually, the light began to grow brighter, as well as larger, in his field of vision.There was no doubt now that it was blue in color.Its source, however, was still a mystery.It seemed as though it was merely an energy which had filled up a portion of the mist, and now radiated its power outward from this location.Still, Iphicles was careful not to assume that it was merely another odd feature of the environment.A suspicion originating from his sense of intuition told him that it was something more than that.A different sort of beast altogether, to put it one way.Yes, it was possible to compare it to the rest of the space, in that it was irregular and unexpected, but beyond that, the comparison disintegrated.If anything, the light stood out because it was different from all that enveloped it.

Suddenly, without any advance warning which would allow him to prepare himself for it, the light began to swiftly move toward him, quickly gaining in both proximity and apparent size.In a moment, he was surrounded by it.Even so, it lacked a single, identifiable source.It seemed to wrap about him, emerging with equal strength and brightness from every angle, giving no reprieve or escape from it.Up close, the shine of it was brilliant to the point of nearly inducing blindness.He squinted his eyes against the dazzling hue, trying to catch his bearings once more, to no avail.He felt once again as if the ground was giving way beneath him, but this time, it failed to resolidified.He was struck with the brief sensation of free-fall, sheathed in the boundless azure blaze.Abruptly, however, the entirety of his surroundings vanished, replaced with an empty, dark, void.Iphicles realized that his eyes were shut.With some effort, he pulled them open, and was greeted with a view of the night sky high above it, portions of it obscured by the occasional overhanging tree branch which extended out into his field of vision.For several moments, he was confused and disoriented, before his mind caught up to his body and he came to the realization that he was back in his bedroll, in the caravan’s camp.The mists and the azure radiance alike had both been nothing but features of a dream from which he had finally awakened.

Iphicles exhaled slowly, pushing out his breath in a sigh of relief.Rolling onto his side, he cast his eyes about the camp, still lit by the now-dull glow of the campfire.At the side of the dim fire, he could make out the shape of Kadmos, keeping watch.Iphicles knew that his shift would be next, and based on how he felt now, even though the vision of sleep had passed, he doubted he would be sleeping much for the rest of the night.Slowly, he extricated himself from his bedroll and shuffled over to the fire.Kadmos glanced up at him as he approached.“Everything alright, my comrade?”He inquired curiously.

Iphicles raised a hand to quell Kadmos’s concern, nodding as he did so.“Indeed.I came to relieve you from your shift.”

Kadmos furrowed his brow.“I believe I have another half of an hour or so left.You could still sleep for time yet.Fear not, I’ll be sure to rouse you when it is your turn.”

Iphicles shook his head.“I’m afraid sleep has decided to elude me tonight, good Kadmos.I think it would be best for me to watch for what’s left of the night.”

Kadmos considered this for a moment, and then dipped his head in acceptance.“Very well then, I bid you good watch, my comrade.”

“My thanks, good Kadmos,” Iphicles replied, lowering himself and taking a seat.Kadmos nodded once more and departed in silence.Iphicles turned his eyes toward the fire, contemplating the contents of his dream as he gazed into the flickering flames.The morning, though he knew it would arrive in a few hours, seemed very far away.


End file.
